2000
#14,247
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,932
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Bombard
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or user of medieval cannons or catapults.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,133 Americans carry the last name Bombard. That puts it at #15,202 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 160,691 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bombard surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 160,691
Census rank
#15,202
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,860 bearers of the surname Bombard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15202nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bombard, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bombard
The surname Bombard is believed to have originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "bombarde," which referred to a type of early cannon or artillery piece. This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname for someone who operated or manufactured these weapons.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bombard can be found in the tax records of the city of Toulouse in the late 13th century. A certain Guilhem Bombard is listed as a resident of the Saint-Sernin parish in 1298. This indicates that the name was already in use as a surname by that time.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various historical documents from the region of Burgundy, France. For example, a man named Jehan Bombard is mentioned in the records of the city of Dijon in 1372. The name is also found in the nearby town of Beaune, where a certain Estienne Bombard is recorded as a landowner in 1388.
During the 15th century, the name Bombard began to spread to other parts of Europe, likely due to the movement of soldiers and artisans involved in the production of firearms. In 1412, a man named Petrus Bombard is mentioned in the archives of the city of Nuremberg, Germany.
One notable figure with the surname Bombard was Jean Bombard, a French navigator and explorer who lived from 1925 to 2008. He gained fame for his daring solo voyages across the Atlantic Ocean in small inflatable rafts, demonstrating the possibility of survival at sea with minimal resources.
Another individual of note was Pierre Bombard, a French painter and illustrator who lived from 1889 to 1957. He was known for his vibrant depictions of Parisian street scenes and urban landscapes.
In England, the surname Bombard can be traced back to the 16th century. One early record mentions a Thomas Bombard who was born in the village of Biddenden, Kent, in 1542. Another English figure with this name was Sir William Bombard, a military officer who served in the Crimean War and was born in 1818.
While the surname Bombard is not extremely common today, it remains a part of the historical record, tracing its origins back to the era of early artillery and firearms in medieval Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bombard
Among Census respondents with the surname Bombard, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bombard bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bombard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 1,734
- Two or more races3.7% · 69
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
- Black or African American0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bombard
Bombard appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#14,643
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,032
+100 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 396 places
2020
#15,202
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,860
-172 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 559 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,247 | 1,932 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,643 | 2,032 | 0.69 | +100 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 396 places |
| 2020 | #15,202 | 1,860 | 0.62 | -172 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 559 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bombard surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,643 | #15,202 | -3.8% |
| Count | 2,032 | 1,860 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.62 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bombard bearers went from 2,032 to 1,860 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 559 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,643 to #15,202.
FAQ
Bombard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bombard?
Name Census estimates that about 2,133 living Americans carry the surname Bombard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 160,691 residents.
How common is Bombard?
Bombard ranks #15,202 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,860 people with the surname Bombard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bombard.
Has Bombard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bombard went from 2,032 recorded bearers to 1,860. That is a decrease of 172 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,643 to #15,202.
What does the Census say about the background of Bombard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bombard, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bombard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (1,734 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bombard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bombard (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bombard mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or user of medieval cannons or catapults. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bombard (0.62 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Bombard?
You can see how many people have the surname Bombard on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.